rothaus

They should since the light comes true the numbers and markings on the dial. They have 3 LED's, one at the tip and 2 each left and right. However, I had onlt black gauges to test them, and they were very even, not just hot spots.

Also I don't know what type of bulbs are installed in the silver dial gauges, that they make these hot spots.


Thanks
Engelbert

DocTock993

Railmaster:
"You may modify the instruments and add some moore leds!"

I remember seeing a DIY a couple of years ago with a mod along those lines - of course I forgot to bookmark.
Do you have a technique to describe that works?



Englebert: "Also I don't know what type of bulbs are installed in the silver dial gauges, that they make these hot spots."

It seems to be more a function of some darker/ thicker area on the back of the gauge face. OEM bulbs in standard location.

KASH '95 993

Pretty cool!

rothaus

Maybe I was not clear with what I tried to say.

I know what the original bulbs are, however, the light in the silver gauges look blue to me, so those cannot be original bulbs. Those may have only 1 LED facing straight, which makes these hot spots and make no even light distribution.
The hot spots are exactly at the location where the bulbs are installed.




Here is a picture from a tach with my LED's installed.

HiWind

i must say i prefer the warm (yellower) light having tried these cool (white) ones in my tach ... they're def brighter but the feel is wrong in white IMO ... this thread title should have a big ? in it

rothaus

Which type of cool white LED's did you use ?

Cheers
Engelbert

HiWind

same as in first post

jg291446

Look at the middle of the page...
http://www.pcarworkshop.com/index.ph...ew_gauge_faces

DocTock993

That's exactly the DIY I remembered.
And I also remember that it is sadly WAY beyond my skill-set

will007

This has been a great post and thought I should add my experience to help those coming after me.

1. Components

Bulb Holder -- I ordered them from the UK -- http://www.crazyleds.co.uk/
a. Holder Type : 509THOLDER > B8.5D 509T Twistlock Bulb/LED holder
b. Ordered 40 of them to have spares (I did break a couple)
c. They are about $0.35 each. With shipping to CA the cost was $20.00

LED Lights -- I ordered them from the US -- https://www.superbrightleds.com/
a. 74-WWHP3 : Warm White > 16 (extra to do the Climate Control Unit as well)
b. 74-BHP3 : Blue > 1
c. 74-GHP3 : Green > 4
d. 74-AHP3 : Amber > 4
e. 74-RHP3 : Red > 13
f. the total with shipping was $99.00

2. Install -- Instrument Panel

Bulbs into holders
a. A bit stiff, so you have to force the LED into the holder.
b. Keep the bulbs organized by color. You can tell the Warm White from the others. However, the LEDs look the same for the other colors.

Remove instruments
a. Use a flat blade screwdriver or similar to pry up either the clock or fuel indicator gauge (starting from left or right), careful to not damage the rubber gasket which "holds" the gauge in place or the gauge or panel. I use a plastic blade for removing interior panels. "Greasing up" the rubber also helps -- ad good time to clean them and freshen them up at the same time. Once you get the first out, you can push from the rear to get the other gauges out.
b. The difficult one is the Tach gauge as it will bump up against the steering column. The trick (I believe Tor was the originator) is to push the gauge out and REMOVE the rubber ring in order to get to the back of the gauge.
c. TIP! -- before removing the gauges turn on the car ignition and take a photo of each gauge to get an idea of what color the warning lights are and their position.

Remove factory bulbs
a. The easiest way is to use a small flat head screwdriver -- there is a slot in each bulb socket. Just turn 90 degrees counter-clockwise.
b. IMPT! -- do not change/remove the bulbs for the AIRBAG, CHECK ENGINE or AUTO DOOR LOCK/REMOTE warning lights. Especially the AIRBAG and CHECK ENGINE -- it will cause a code failure and you will see it and the "!" warning light go on each time you start the car. Eventually it does go off. The only remedy is to have the code reset. I had my local Porsche garage -- Hi-Tec Automotive -- do it and it was free and took them 2 minutes to do.

Install LED bulbs
a. The holders I am using are a bit tight to get in and be able to turn. So you have spread open the metal tabs on both ends a little bit. Just using your thumb to push up is sufficient. Not too loose or you won't get a good connection. Tight is fine, just not so tight that it starts to rub away at the contact on the gauge board.
b. TIP! -- Just remember to take your time to get the bulb flush into the hole before turning.
c. I also used a pair of needle nose pliers to help twist the bulb in -- clockwise.
d. TIP! -- Test that the light works before moving on to the next bulb or gauge. Turn on the ignition switch and you can see if the bulbs light up or not. If not, remove the bulb and turn it 180 degrees and try again. The LEDs have a polarity, so if they are in "backwards" will not light up. My first time in success rate was about 50%.

Install the instrument gauges
a. Clean the rubber gaskets to bring them back to new.
b. Push the gauges back in by hand -- visually keeping them level.
c. For the Tach, you need to install the rubber gasket first.
d. TIP! -- Sometimes it is helpful to "wet" the opening so that the rubber slides back in smoothly vs. wanting to slide to the front and over the gauge.

DONE! The light is much brighter and still has that warm look to them (not as warm as factory but not cool at all). I especially like that I can now see the turn signal light as I can't really hear the flasher, so I rely on the light to see if on or not. (side note -- would love to update the indicator stalk to make them a 3-peater when you tap it like the new cars -- anyone done that? PM me!)

It's about a 1 hour job if you prepare the bulbs first and follow a systematic approach. I'm going to do the CCU later after I refurbish it (send it to Tor?)

Great update for under $150.

LPMM

Reviving this... I ordered LEDs from Superbrightleds and I am about to install them. I ordered enough to replace all of the gauge lights but how do you know you have the right polarity for those that do not light up at startup and only light up when a fault is detected?

will007

hi Laurent

I believe that all of them light up when you turn on the switch for the first time.

MrRoboto

Will your website be up and running again in the future?

Domer911

resurrecting an old thread (one that I suppose I would be directed to if I started a new one, lol).

Anyway, this option from Carmagic is awful. Far from a plug-and-play option, they are fragile and poor-fitting. If you don't get the bulb housings seated right the first time, and you attempt to bend the metal tabs a SECOND time, they will likely break off. That's what happened in my case.

Money down the drain. Caveat emptor.
​​​​​​​

ToreB

This is also my experience with many brands of LED bulbs for use in the instruments. They simply are too flimsy and unreliable, and I have not found any that come up to my expectations.
Cheers,
Tore